Building construction.



' PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908.

C. D.@ SALPIBLD. BUILDING GONSTR'UCTION.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.'27, 1908.

WITNESSES INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL D. SALFIELD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

BUILDiNG CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 27, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL D. SALFIELD, citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Building Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in building construction, and is especially designed to prevent the formation or opening of cracks and passages through the walls or floors of the building, which may subsequently serve for the entrance of vermin, effluvia, drafts of air and fire.

It consists in the combination of parts, and in details of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the figure is a sectional elevation.

In the construction of buildings, passages are often left through the floors and walls by carelessness of construction, and by the shrinkage of timbers; and in countries sub ject to earthquakes, or to wind-storms, the outer walls of frame buildings, after having been well constructed, will frequently spread or separate at the places where the floor and the wall-plate meet, so as to form passages, which permit the free entrance of vermin, ,effluvia, drafts of air and fire.

It is the object of my invention to prevent such openings being formed, and my inven tion is especially designed to be introduced in the building of new houses.

As shown in the drawing, A represents a foundation of any suitable character, such as brick, concrete or the like, and upon this foundation is placed the sill 2.

Upon the sill, or upon the studs and timbers extending upwards therefrom, the joists 3 are laid, and upon these joists is laid the first floor wall-plate, as at 4, from which studding 5 extends upward to form the walls of the superstructure.

The outer portion of the building may be covered with rustic or other sheathing, as at 6.

Under ordinary construction, the flooring 7 is of tongued and grooved material, which, if laid ever so closely against the plate, shows numbers of cracks and open spaces caused by careless construction and by shrinkage of the timber in the wall-plate and floor, when the building is finished. These cracks and open spaces often extend the entire length of the building, through which Patented June 30, 1908.

Serial No. 418,106.

rats, mice and other vermin may pass, or gnaw their way from the cellcr or basement, into the walls and partitions, and into the upper floors of the building. These cracks and open spaces also permit the cold air and effluvia from the basement or cellar to penetrate into the upper floors of the building,

and also are the means to quickly commumcate fire from one floor to the other.

In my invention, after the first floor oists 3 are laid, I lay sheets of metal 8 over the top of the floor oists, flush with the outer ends of the joists, and fasten the metal sheets to the joists with small Wire nails to hold them in place during construction. I then place the Wall-plate 4 on the metal sheets, flush with the outer ends of the joists, and nail the plate to the joists; the nails passing through the metal sheets will hold them permanently in place.

The metal sheets are of sufficient width to pass several inches under the flooring, which is laid over them, completely keeping the cracks or open spaces, which may form afterwards by shrinkage, earthquakes or storm, permanently closed; these metal sheets to extend allaround the building and under partitions Where needed. It has further been shown that during such convulsions of nature as earthquakes or wind-storms, the buildings being badly shaken, the outer walls will often spread, so that channels and passages of considerable size are formed between the outer edge of the floor and the inner edge of the Wall-plate, and as it is almost impossible to keep rats, mice and other vermin out of the basements and cellars of houses, where they are often carried, in crates, boxes and barrels, and they find easy entrance through these openings into the walls and partitions, and into the upper floors. And. Wherever even a small crack or a thin edge of wood, such as a groove or tongue of flooring, are ex posed and accessible, rats and mice will gnaw, and soon perforate openings of sufficient size to allow of their free passage; but where a flat smooth surface appears, as the central portion of a board, or where the joints are absolutely tight, they find no starting place to gnaw, and will never make any attempt to, and cannot, enter. It will therefore be seen, that by placing the metal sheets 8 upon the joists, and from one joist to the other around the entire building when it is being constructed, and extending the metal sheets as described, and as shown in the drawing,

under the plate and under the floor, that vermin are absolutely confined to the basement or cellar of the building, from which they may readily be eXterminated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desireto secure by Letters Patent 1s- 1. The combination with the floor joists, plate, studding and flooring of a building, of metal sheets laid upon and across the joists, extending in width from the outer edge of the Wall-plate of the building, and under said plate, and underlapping the flooring boards several inches, substantially as herein described.

2. In building construction, metal sheets laid over the top of the outer ends of the floor joists, and across the joists from one to the other, the outer edges of the metal sheets flush with the outer edge of the plate, the inner edges of the metal sheets extending inwardly several inches under the floor, and having the plate, studding and floor boards resting upon the metal sheets.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CARL D. SALFIELD.

l/Vitnesses CHARLEs A. PENFIELD, S. H. NOURSE. 

